How long should a cover letter be?
A cover letter should be about half a page to one page: three to four short paragraphs, roughly 250 to 400 words. It should never run past one page. The goal is to connect your background to one specific role quickly, not to restate your whole resume. Shorter and focused almost always beats longer and padded.
The target length
Aim for three to four paragraphs that fit comfortably on a single page with normal margins and an 11 or 12 point font. In word count, that is usually 250 to 400 words. A hiring manager may read many applications in one sitting, so a letter they can absorb in under a minute respects their time and keeps their attention on your strongest points.
Think of the word count as a guardrail rather than a goal. If your strongest case takes 280 words, do not pad it to reach 400, and if it genuinely needs 390, do not strip out a useful example to hit a rounder number. The right length is whatever lets you make one specific, evidence-backed argument and then stop.
What each paragraph does
The length works when each paragraph has a clear job, so nothing is filler:
- Opening: two or three sentences naming the role and giving one specific reason you are a strong fit.
- Body: one or two short paragraphs with concrete evidence, ideally a measurable result, that maps your experience to the job's needs.
- Closing: two or three sentences that restate your interest and invite a next step.
If you can say it in three tight paragraphs, do; a fourth is only worth adding when it carries new, relevant evidence.
Why longer is usually worse
A cover letter that spills onto a second page almost always contains repetition, generic duty descriptions, or a retelling of the resume. Reviewers skim, so extra length rarely gets read and can suggest that you struggle to prioritize. The cover letter's advantage is that it is short and selective: it picks two or three points from your background and explains why they matter for this employer. Length dilutes that advantage.
Why too short can also miss
A one or two sentence note attached to a resume is technically a cover letter, but it usually wastes the opportunity. Without at least one concrete example connecting your experience to the role, the reader learns nothing the resume did not already show. A focused letter of a few real paragraphs is the sweet spot; brevity is a strength only when the substance is still there.
Formatting that keeps you on one page
Presentation affects perceived length as much as word count. A few habits keep a letter tidy and readable:
- Use a standard font at 11 or 12 points with one-inch margins.
- Keep paragraphs to two to four sentences and add a blank line between them.
- Cut adjectives and filler phrases such as "I am writing to apply for" in favor of a direct opening.
- Trim the greeting and sign-off to their essentials rather than long formal blocks.
Adjust for the situation
The range flexes slightly by context. An email cover letter, where the message body is the letter, tends to be shorter, closer to 150 to 250 words. Some senior, academic, or federal roles accept and even expect more detail. When a posting gives no guidance, the standard half-to-full page is the safe default. For the structure that fills those paragraphs, see how to write a cover letter, step by step, and if you are unsure who to address it to, our guide on how to address a cover letter covers the opening line.
How to cut a letter that runs long
If your draft spills past a page, trim in a deliberate order rather than shrinking the font. Start by deleting any sentence that simply restates a bullet point from your resume; the letter should interpret your experience, not repeat it. Remove throat-clearing openers such as "I am writing to express my interest in" and begin with the role and your strongest reason for fitting it. Cut generic praise of the company that any applicant could have written, and keep only the specific detail that shows you researched them. Finally, collapse two body paragraphs into one if they make the same point, keeping the version with the concrete result.
A quick length checklist
Before you send, confirm the letter passes these checks:
- It fits on a single page with an 11 or 12 point font and normal margins.
- It runs three to four short paragraphs, roughly 250 to 400 words.
- Each paragraph has a distinct job: hook, evidence, and close.
- At least one sentence gives a specific, measurable example.
- Nothing in it simply repeats the resume word for word.
If it clears those, the length is right regardless of the exact word count. A letter that respects the reader's time and still makes a specific case is doing its job.